(Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.)

The
Tattoo

---
Making a Permanent Impression Since 1994 ---

Sept. 21, 1998

Life Under Construction

--- First of a Series ---

Starting with this issue, The Tattoo will chronicle the
renovations are the city's two high schools. Our staff writers
will describe the trials, tribulations and occasional funny
moments of life under construction. We invite readers who are
students, teachers, administrators or staff to submit entries as
well. Make sure to include your name and phone number for
verification.
If you have one to share, give yours to a Tattoo staff member,
mail them to us at: The Tattoo, c/o Steve Collins and Jackie
Majerus, P.O. Box 483, Bristol CT 06011, or, best of all, e-mail
them to us at: SteveJackie@prodigy.net
Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998
If I had any presumptions about perhaps this construction being a
good idea, then today they were forgotten.
I was late for my English class when a group of freshman, who
were obviously lost, dazed or apparently stupid, stood in the
middle of the hallway and decided to talk to each other amidst
the confusion and traffic of the mid day rush.
Normally I would have decided to miss the whole mess of the
"naive and stupid" in the hallway, but due to the remodeling of
the hallway of my choice I didn't have another option to access.
Also even though it is only day three of school I have heard all
about the construction, the details of how long it will take, and
how troubling it has been for faculty and students alike. I now
know that the construction will take approximately 900 days,
which in junior time doesn't mean much since I will be out of
this school by the time that they are done. Therefore I don't
really care about this, except that it is causing me to be late
for classes.
On a whole I actually can't think of any good that is coming out
of this for my benefit. I have complaining teachers that are
traveling around and in time I feel will lose my papers in the
confusion and stupid freshman that are adding to my troubles as
well.
The only upside in this is the making fun of the situation as
much that it can be made fun of. For example the hallway that
holds the history department has no ceiling or floor which gives
it a "bat cave" appearance that throws off echoes that are really
quite humorous to hear and to say. Those are the two good sides
the ONLY good sides.
Now I am wondering what tomorrow will be like or what room I will
be in, if one at all??
-- Jessica Norton, junior, Bristol Eastern High School
Wednesday, Sept. 9
When I was walking to my science class, it occurred to me this
morning just how inconvenient the new construction at Bristol
Central was going to make day-to-day life. Usually, to get to the
science room, I would just have to walk down one of the
connecting halls and take a right.
Well, it's no longer that easy. I must now go down two flights of
stairs to the bottom floor, across the bottom flor, then back up
two flights of stairs. Oh, I'm startig to love it already.
Now, the construction workers have at least been able to open up
one of the connecting halls in the middle floor, so that cross-
school transit has been made a little easier. However, it is
still very tough to get to classes without having to go a long
way out of the way.
Just to mention that would of course be leaving out the fact that
the school now resembles a dungeon, with the atmosphere not
exactly making the whole experience any easier to put up with.
I'm a senior, though, so I know the school already. It's the
freshmen who are really suffering. How am I supposed to tell my
freshman sister how to get to class when I am not even sure? It's
sad to see the scared looks of the freshmen as they take a turn
and realize that they are at a dead end, trapped in a building
that has all the charm of a medieval torture chamber.
I'd stop to laugh, but I have to find out how to get to my next
class.
-- Collin Seguin, senior, Bristol Central High School
Friday, Sept. 12
English class. We're reading Streetcar Named Desire. My teacher
tells us it was once called The Poker Night. We're all
fascinated. Really.
Stanley slaps Stella in the kitchen and we all gasp. In my mind
Marlon Brando wails into the night:
"STELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAA!!!" and then...
BBBBBBBBBBBRRTTTTTTTTTTKKKKKKBBBBBBBBRTTTTTTTKKKKKKK
Construction plods on.
That scratching sound in the distance can only be poor Mr.
Williams turning slowly in his grave.
-- Joe Wilbur, junior at Bristol Eastern